Mashable notes that as of Tuesday morning Trump has offered up no evidence that he followed through with his pledge to buy a Tesla vehicle. As for Musk, he's spent the day personally thanking his fans, such as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, for voicing their support for Tesla on his social media platform X.

This suggests that the reaction of consumers to Mr Musk’s antics are only one reason for falling sales. An updated Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, has just gone on sale. In preparation Tesla ran down inventory of the old model, crimping supply. Customers have doubtless held off purchases until the new car is available.

Tesla’s stock has dropped by nearly half in three months. Even so, investors are still debating whether Elon Musk's electric-vehicle maker remains overpriced.